I like video games the best since you can actually interact with them and get immersed into the world, and (for now) you can have fun, and games are the best value for money (most anyway) it's a shame game developers are forgetting these vital features and are sacrificing gameplay for storytelling, they should quit their jobs as game developers and become movie script writers or book authors. I can not choose between Movies and Books because they are good for different reasons, this is mainly referring to books with movies based off them, while the watching the movie is relaxing and shows you the story, the book tells you more of the story.

Games are all about gameplay (they are meant to be anyway, a game developers shouldn't start focusing too much on the story unitl the know that the game is going to be fun and that the game has enough gameplay for the price tag), that is why I can't fully compare them to books and movies.

Mr. House

I'm going to repost something I said in the games- storyline v gameplay thing

I think that the only way for games to be taken seriously as an art form that it has to take advantage of the position it is in, that is interactivity. Interactivity with the story, having a world/story which you yourself can shape individually. Games have a unique advantage in this way in that most other art forms are static. You can listen to a great song, watch a great film, but you can't change the notes or alter the script. With games you can theoretically do jut about anything.

Obviously the stories involved have to be created by a writer or writers and such, but the beauty of it is that you can arc the line of a story into any which way the player wishes, given a good enough writing team. This makes stories a much more interactive thing and vests people into the story much more.

I don't think that any game has really pushed this idea as far as it could go, but there are games that have either come close or have embraced this idea, such as Brain Fargo's Fallout and Wasteland series, Planescape Torment and other games created by the Black Isle members ,who are now Obsidian Entertainment and InXile. There are some mainstream games who have done this too, or went down a similar road, like Mass Effect, though the choices in that game were rather binary.

Of course gameplay is important. Nobody wants to 'play' a series of cutscenes. The gameplay should also make you feel like you're able to interact with the world in the same way as you can with the story, but I'm not too bothered about having overly complex systems and flashy lights and such.

In short I think games have to potential to convey a story or myriad of stories in a much more creative and interactive way than any other medium can.

Osho

I totally concur with Dan, "Books tell you something, movies show you something, games let you do something"

Though, I put them in the order of importance, as below:

1. Books, no doubt, helping me in the professional field I am successful and paid for. It's the most valuable form of knowledge (the head start) that lays the foundation in helping you to learn things completely that mere watching movies or gaming won't do.

2. Movies, certainly helped me in major or minor way, not possible to list down since it covers a lot of input more convenient for me to follow and understand rather explaining them.

3. Games, being just time-wasters when you've nothing much to do and have some free time. I don't think it has contributed anything worth mentioning.

Mr. House

I totally concur with Dan, "Books tell you something, movies show you something, games let you do something"

Though, I put them in the order of importance, as below:

1. Books, no doubt, helping me in the professional field I am successful and paid for. It's the most valuable form of knowledge (the head start) that lays the foundation in helping you to learn things completely that mere watching movies or gaming won't do.

2. Movies, certainly helped me in major or minor way, not possible to list down since it covers a lot of input more convenient for me to follow and understand rather explaining them.

3. Games, being just time-wasters when you've nothing much to do and have some free time. I don't think it has contributed anything worth mentioning.

So you agree with Houser, but you think games are useless? I think you're missing his point. The point being that games give a person much more freedom and interactivity over the course of the storyline, if anything it's a creative experience for the person playing too. You can't interact with the story of a book or a film.

As for 'not contributing anything worth mentioning' well let's ignore the slight on the great writing in many video games for one second and address the cultural impact gaming has had. First of all you're sort of shooting yourself in the foot by making this remark on a forum dedicated to the highest grossing gaming series of all time. In any case, 'gaming culture' is everywhere nowadays, it's a mass market with things like gamin channels, T shirts, plush toys, collectibles, trading cards, billboards, conventions etc and this is true for so many games. The only film or book franchises that have the same sort of scope are Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, the Disney franchise.

Osho

So you agree with Houser, but you think games are useless? I think you're missing his point. The point being that games give a person much more freedom and interactivity over the course of the storyline, if anything it's a creative experience for the person playing too. You can't interact with the story of a book or a film.

As for 'not contributing anything worth mentioning' well let's ignore the slight on the great writing in many video games for one second and address the cultural impact gaming has had. First of all you're sort of shooting yourself in the foot by making this remark on a forum dedicated to the highest grossing gaming series of all time. In any case, 'gaming culture' is everywhere nowadays, it's a mass market with things like gamin channels, T shirts, plush toys, collectibles, trading cards, billboards, conventions etc and this is true for so many games. The only film or book franchises that have the same sort of scope are Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, the Disney franchise.

I am in agreement with Dan that games let you do something that for the most part is the best thing of playing them. His point can be further illustrated in a pile of things that video games are also worth the time you put for so many reasons. But, that's the part of his job to attempt to convince more people at least try to consider gaming as more or less a contributing factor in every one's life, it has grown and an evolving culture by itself.

I am not criticizing nor contradicting Dan's views but merely being honest that gaming has contributed nothing much to my knowledge or experience. I didn't have the luxury during my childhood (During that time, In India gaming wasn't that popular, what's seen today) to be able to even buy gaming PC, instead, I had to focus on a lot of other things to be able to reach in a position first to even afford one. As such, I just don't see gaming the way you described.

Today, I do regard games still good source of spending the time, but probably slightly different for me than it will be for you, since if I have lot of other responsibilities, that I find myself committed to strictly passing time and doesn't get overly involved.

Mr. House

So you agree with Houser, but you think games are useless? I think you're missing his point. The point being that games give a person much more freedom and interactivity over the course of the storyline, if anything it's a creative experience for the person playing too. You can't interact with the story of a book or a film.

As for 'not contributing anything worth mentioning' well let's ignore the slight on the great writing in many video games for one second and address the cultural impact gaming has had. First of all you're sort of shooting yourself in the foot by making this remark on a forum dedicated to the highest grossing gaming series of all time. In any case, 'gaming culture' is everywhere nowadays, it's a mass market with things like gamin channels, T shirts, plush toys, collectibles, trading cards, billboards, conventions etc and this is true for so many games. The only film or book franchises that have the same sort of scope are Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, the Disney franchise.

I am in agreement with Dan that games let you do something that for the most part is the best thing of playing them. His point can be further illustrated in a pile of things that video games are also worth the time you put for so many reasons. But, that's the part of his job to attempt to convince more people at least try to consider gaming as more or less a contributing factor in every one's life, it has grown and an evolving culture by itself.

I am not criticizing nor contradicting Dan's views but merely being honest that gaming has contributed nothing much to my knowledge or experience. I didn't have the luxury during my childhood (During that time, In India gaming wasn't that popular, what's seen today) to be able to even buy gaming PC, instead, I had to focus on a lot of other things to be able to reach in a position first to even afford one. As such, I just don't see gaming the way you described.

Today, I do regard games still good source of spending the time, but probably slightly different for me than it will be for you, since if I have lot of other responsibilities, that I find myself committed to strictly passing time and doesn't get overly involved.

Kiffster

I personally enjoy both games and movies equally. Both have their good and bad moments and I can't pick one over the other. I tend to watch more movies these days than playing games though. In my teens and early 20s I would've said GAMES without a doubt and nothing else matters, but over the last few years I've just been playing less and less. I only play for a couple of hours a week, if I even play at all, whereas in the past I pretty much did nothing else but play games. Games just don't interest me as much as it used to, but I still enjoy it once in a while.

Reading on the other hand... I only read a couple of monthly magazines and that's about it haha. Reading just don't interest me at all.

Fun (but totally uninteresting) fact: speaking of monthly magazines, I've been buying the NAG magazine (which is a gaming and tech mag here in SA) since April 2003, and I still have each and every copy to this day. I can't seem to throw them away dammit. But it really is the only good and worthwhile reading material in my honest opinion

Nowdrivefaster

I don't think there's a huge difference between books, movies and games. They are all read, watched or played to escape from reality. I read a LOT and watch movies a lot too but when I'm playing, the game is an only Place I can do things I wouldn't normally do and I can actually affect to things that are either going or not going to happen. As for movies and books someone else has made that decision for you already. What does it really feel like to play character that is totally crazy killer...? IRL I wouldn't hurt a fly. But otherwise... it is exciting to see different characters on screen and read about them.

Graven

If I had to choose one, books by a long mile.
"Books tell You something", that's an underststement. With a good book, You are using your imagination. Games and movies are much more passive.
But I'm glad we have the joy to enjoy all of these arts.

CatDog96

I can't read books I get bored too easily, same with video games I can't sit there and play for an hour I just get bored, but I can watch tv series for hours at a time, I don't know why, probably because I don't have to do anything except watch.